sundries

[rm]

It is snowing. Again. It is supposed to snow intermittently for the next four days. I have never seen anything like this winter. It is, I think, starting to ping some strange post-apocalyptic childhood fear in me. I keep thinking about nuclear war and Twelve Monkeys.

Am overwhelmed with news lately. Such a busy couple of news weeks, and I'm working like 3pm - 2am right now covering an event in Europe. So I'm tired and AWOL from the rest of life.

Am completely annoyed by a mailing list I'm on, which was never clear if it was about bisexuality as an academic topic or bisexual academics. But that's not the worst of it. The worst of it is a whole lot of people not knowing their own history (to say "queer" was never a political or activist word and has no radical history is just incorrect) or people not realizing how nasty and privileged the stuff coming out of their mouths is (assertions that one would NEVER choose to use the word "queer" in a given town because it's just too confrontational and lesbian, gay or bisexual would be much safer -- well that's nice, but for some people queer is the only word that makes accurate sense). Why? WHY haven't I unsubscribed? It's not like it's suddenly going to get interesting.

Need something to write about for LfT. Am afraid my inspiration for the week has all been blown on that RPF thing which was a very challenging write. The thing is, I like writing stuff that challenging and complex. I'm toying with something about fencing and about mystery schools, but I'm not sure the post can be written without dirty laundry -- which I'm not necessarily opposed to, it just requires appropriate consideration and timing, all of which I"m a little low on right now.

Yay, edible cups are fully funded. Still can't get over the random commentor who, without being specific, posted on Kickstarter that this project is run by "terrible people." I don't know the edible cup people, but if you don't actually spell out your issues this looks like more sour graps and people being resentful of people, especially female people, who do stuff. AND I AM SO SICK OF IT.

Totally behind on White Collar due to weird work hours. See lots of squeeing about subtext. Which says to me the show that's doing really interesting stuff about human relationships still can't decide what it's doing about human relationships. Also, Peter having a Kojak moment with a lollypop, does not queer content make, thanks.

There's a TW friending meme going on right now that I haven't decided whether or not to participate in yet because my relationship with LJ and the fandom feels so fucked up in my own head.

I've only skimmed this fic from cthonus so far because of my wacky schedule, but it's compelling and creepy. Although you have to buy into just how long Jack holds on to loss for it to work. Meanwhile, I only skimmed the thing and it's still walking around with me, so I'm pretty sure it works. I think this cycles up to the beginning of this post -- there's a certain quiet, narrative, despair to this time of year, combined with Patty being away and my whole Jack thing, stories like this can't not get a hold of me right now.

Comments

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

Why? WHY haven't I unsubscribed? It's like like it's suddenly going to get interesting.

YE GODS, you're still on that list?

I said "Eff this" after three days of hating everyone on it!

[xtricks.livejournal.com]

I just don't get the excitement about White Collar. I watched most of the first season and it's basically a replaying of very traditional nuclear family tropes: Dad, who can't so much as make a cup of coffee without someone (with huge signals of lower status, like race) to help him. Mom who is emotionally understanding and knows things before everyone else and is endlessly competent and content to be in the background, looking indulgent. And teenage son; rebellious, romantically fixated and thus making stupid 'teenage' choices, but ultimately surrenders to Dad's authority without any sense of self. I mean, when Burk and his wife are 'camping out' in the living room they've got *separate beds* - just like the parent bedroom in a 1950s show.

And the queer thing reminds me I need to work up a post about that. I have a language question there regarding it's use as an umbrella term.

[azn-jack-fiend.livejournal.com]

That cthonus fic was awfully good! Recced it here. The theme didn't particularly call to me, but the language did. I also really loved an earlier Jack backstory fic here.

[tod-hollykim.livejournal.com]

This winter isn't so bad. I remember one winter, back in the late '70s I think (I was living in Long Branch, NJ and commuting to Manhattan to work at Lord & Taylor's) where we never saw the ground. It would snow and then not melt followed by another snow. I think it was well into spring before it melted enough to see ground.

And as to queer, has no one reminded them of the chant "We're here, We're Queer, get use to it!"? If that's not political, I don't know what is.

[i-amthecosmos.livejournal.com]

Hell, activists used that chant in Alabama when we were all protesting the Cracker Barrels back in the 90's. Yeah, nobody used Queer in a political context.

[ghost-light.livejournal.com]

Jonathan Lethem's latest book had weather like this in it....

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

Were you in NYC winter 1996, when we got something like 14 storms in three months? Or was it 17 storms, including an ice storm? I lost count. This current stuff doesn't scare me. If anything it's more like when I was growing up in New England. It's the last several mild winters that worry me more.

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

I remember that!

The snow piles were taller than I was!

[cobweb-diamond.livejournal.com]

re: White Collar, in this case the lollipop is not just a lollipop.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I'm on that list too and oh my god that whole discussion is seriously irritating!
I know one of the speakers personally (you know which one) and ARRRGH!!!!!!!!!

I think I need to get into her face and tell you don't speak for everyone in your locale, you ass! GAH!

Sorry, but I'm so glad you understand.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Also for the people on that list who are not academics or aspiring academics: WHY ARE THEY THERE?

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

*nods-nods*

I think this is the straw. It irritates me more often than not and seriously, the that person imbues herself everywhere is irritating.

Good luck if you're gonna continue with them.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I keep thinking, "but what if it's useful" and yet HOW COULD IT BE?

I can sort of sense some of the more scholarly-inclined people on that list are sort of getting pissed too though.

[pantryslut.livejournal.com]

to say "queer" was never a political or activist word and has no radical history is just incorrect)

I weep, and so does every veteran of Queer Nation.

[elusis.livejournal.com]

The only reason you couldn't hear me screaming from across the country was that I was sitting in an airport when I read that line, and did not care to be invited to a back room for a personal conversation by the TSA.

[ladyofthelog.livejournal.com]

See, I keep thinking that this is normal winter weather. Hannah and I even spent ten minutes the other night complaining about the weather in St. Louis and the fact that people think they have it bad in NYC. ("And during the two weeks when it's nice in the spring? Then you get the trees that smell like semen. Thanks, St. Louis!") Is it really that much more mild in an avergae NYC winter?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yes. Normally we have maybe 4 - 6 snows that stick. Only one of them will be more than 3 or 4 inches and is considered quite dramatic if it's 8 or 9. This winter is COMPLETELY shocking. Even in years when we've had blizzards like the Christmas one (and I've seen 3 or 4 in my life here) normally THAT'S IT. And it it's bad, it normally doesn't get bad until February. So this is fucking weird.

Temperature-wise this has been pretty normal (mostly 30, one bad week around 5, a couple of bad weeks around 20). But the snow has been freaky.

[i-amthecosmos.livejournal.com]

I like the edible cups idea, although I might not want to eat them. I enjoy the light-hearted approach to eco-friendly products. To me, a lot of recycled or eco-themed products have such passive-aggressive advertising. I've always hated the name of one company that makes unbleached recycled paper cupcake liners and such: "If You Care". Argh, that drives me crazy.

Okay, rant over. Now to the use of "queer". Has it ever been used politically? Yes. Some people were either not around during the early 90's or are willfully forgetting them. Like I said above, when even LGBT activists in Alabama use the "We're here, we're queer, we're fabulous don't mess with us!" (they wouldn't say "fuck") in a protest, then everybody did. We had the most uptight gay activists in the country.

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

(to say "queer" was never a political or activist word and has no radical history is just incorrect)

Wait, what? So I hallucinated the entire early 90s? There was no Queer Nation, I take it.

Seriously, there must be scadzillions of Queer Nation stickers and baseball caps in someone's basement somewhere.

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

As far as LfT - a whle back, you asked us to post questions we had about the industry. I know that at least two of us were curious about how to get the magical unicorn SAG card given the Catch-22 in place. Maybe that might make an interesting post?

[cpolk.livejournal.com]

you unsubscribed, right?

you don't want to know how long it took me to get off my butt and unsubscribe to flylady, even thought a saccharine sexism made something in my ears pound like drums.

[canaana.livejournal.com]

See lots of squeeing about subtext. Which says to me the show that's doing really interesting stuff about human relationships still can't decide what it's doing about human relationships.

Yes, this. This is the words I wanted for the funny feeling it produces in my throat, like I've swallowed something, and it can't quite decide whether to go down or come back up.